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With all due respect to craft-beer-crazy San Diego, what could be more patriotic than drinking wine at the backyard barbecue this July 4? n After all, our love for wine can be traced back to the author of the Declaration of Independence itself, Thomas Jefferson, who considered it his patriotic duty to promote wine to the newbie nation. n “By making this wine known to the public,” he said, “I have rendered my country as great a service as if I had enabled it to pay back the national debt.” n So as you prep your patties, select your salmon and dry-rub your ribs, declare your independence from beer (or soda or margaritas) and grab a red, white or rosé in honor of the red, white and blue. n To ensure your Fourth is a blast, we asked some local experts for their pairing picks. Their answers vary because there is no one right answer: Different marinades, rubs and sauces call for different wines. More importantly, grilling season is about fun. So relax, break the rules and drink whatever you like. What could be more American?

The experts

Vegetables

Any bright white matches well with grilled zucchini, eggplant, peppers and onions, but corn is always special. “With a juicy piece of corn, an incredibly refreshing pinot gris from the Willamette (rhymes with dammit) Valley in Oregon,” Franke said. “Try the Willakenzie 2012 Pinot Gris ($15.95).”

Chicken breast

From our mixed responses, it’s clear grilled chicken goes nicely with white, rosé or red. “For this most adaptable of foods,” Epstein said, choose “a wine that is light of body but big on flavor — such as the pinot noir from Ankida Ridge in Virginia ($42).”

Burgers

Our experts were all over the red wine map, ranging from a refreshing rosé to a spunky cab/syrah blend to a powerhouse. Francke said he’d opt for an aptly named California blend. “Burgers on the Fourth with a large group? Try the Great American Wine Co. Red Blend from Rosenblum Cellars. … It’s a predominantly zinfandel blend with petite sirah to boost the richness. Only $6.99!”

Veggie or turkey burgers

The wine pros didn’t gush over this pairing but said to keep it simple with a light red, like a Beaujolais, or a white. Pirkl kept it breezy with a Napa winery’s twist on an Italian grape. “The 2013 Tendu by Matthiasson (100 percent vermentino) comes in a liter bottle with a crown cap!” (About $18 for the liter.)

Spicy sausages

Try whites and reds that pair well with spicy foods, like riesling and zinfandel. Cano called for a gewürztraminer from Oregon’s Rogue Valley ($14). “A fan favorite at baseball games and your backyard, we recommend 2011 Foris’ Gewürztraminer to help wash down those spicy tones from the meat with its slight tart and tanginess but still crisp and mineral driven body.”